Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Cliburn Backstage with Greg Anderson ( @gregandersonpiano )
Interviews, curation, and editing by Greg Anderson
Seventeenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
May 21–June 7, 2025
Jonathan Mamora, United States, 30
cliburn.org/competitions/2025-cliburn-competition/2025-competitors/jonathan-mamora
About Jonathan
Jonathan Mamora remembers being a 4-year-old who was very jealous of his brother’s piano lessons. His father wanted them both to learn so that they could play in church, but the older sibling was enrolled first. Jonathan would listen, remember the notes his brother practiced, and then try to replicate them—eventually discovering on his own how the dots on the pages corresponded to the notes the instrument played. He says he was immediately hooked and has been ever since.
The Indonesian-American, Southern California native earned a bachelor’s in music from La Sierra University with Elvin Rodriguez and a master’s at The Juilliard School with Hung-Kuan Chen. This year, he completed a doctorate from the Eastman School of Music under Douglas Humpherys.
Jonathan is the first-prize winner of a number of international piano competitions, most recently the 2025 Hilton Head, 2023 Scottish, 2023 Maria Canals Barcelona, and 2022 Olga Kern. He has performed throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia, with highlights including a 2023 debut at Carnegie Hall and engagements with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, and New Mexico Philharmonic. His career to date has been truly multifaceted: he’s been a church musician much of his life; enjoys collaborating with vocalists, instrumentalists, ensembles, and choirs; and has also performed as a percussionist, vocalist, historical keyboardist (harpsichord, fortepiano), and conductor.
Jonathan values education as an important tool in music making. He has previously taught at the Eastman School of Music and The Juilliard School and has conducted master classes and lessons in the United States, the Caribbean, South America, and Europe.
Cliburn Backstage with Greg Anderson ( @gregandersonpiano )
Interviews, curation, and editing by Greg Anderson
Seventeenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
May 21–June 7, 2025
Jonathan Mamora, United States, 30
cliburn.org/competitions/2025-cliburn-competition/2025-competitors/jonathan-mamora
About Jonathan
Jonathan Mamora remembers being a 4-year-old who was very jealous of his brother’s piano lessons. His father wanted them both to learn so that they could play in church, but the older sibling was enrolled first. Jonathan would listen, remember the notes his brother practiced, and then try to replicate them—eventually discovering on his own how the dots on the pages corresponded to the notes the instrument played. He says he was immediately hooked and has been ever since.
The Indonesian-American, Southern California native earned a bachelor’s in music from La Sierra University with Elvin Rodriguez and a master’s at The Juilliard School with Hung-Kuan Chen. This year, he completed a doctorate from the Eastman School of Music under Douglas Humpherys.
Jonathan is the first-prize winner of a number of international piano competitions, most recently the 2025 Hilton Head, 2023 Scottish, 2023 Maria Canals Barcelona, and 2022 Olga Kern. He has performed throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia, with highlights including a 2023 debut at Carnegie Hall and engagements with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, and New Mexico Philharmonic. His career to date has been truly multifaceted: he’s been a church musician much of his life; enjoys collaborating with vocalists, instrumentalists, ensembles, and choirs; and has also performed as a percussionist, vocalist, historical keyboardist (harpsichord, fortepiano), and conductor.
Jonathan values education as an important tool in music making. He has previously taught at the Eastman School of Music and The Juilliard School and has conducted master classes and lessons in the United States, the Caribbean, South America, and Europe.
